Decisions

Decisions. What is the first thing you think of when you hear that word? A basketball player? A corporate executive? Well, everyone makes decisions, whether it's buying a new shoe,  posting a photo on the Internet, or even choosing what color of pen to use. What do these decisions have in common? Well, they all have some impact on our lives, no matter how trivial.

Let's look at this same concept, but on a bigger scale. Imagine yourself as the president, having to make a decision whether or not to pass a bill. Now your decision doesn't just affect you, it affects all of America. So whichever way you decide, some one is going to be unhappy.

However in some cases, a decision makes a lot of people unhappy. Then the decision maker is under heavy fire, even if he believes it was the correct choice. One example of this is the Louisiana Purchase.

The Louisiana Purchase was a purchase made by then-President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. It gave the United States control over 828,000 square miles, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rockies. This land was important because it included tights to the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans, which was critical to facilitate trade with Western states, The United States paid $15,000,000 (in 1803 dollars) or $234 million in today's currency to France. That's about $0.42 an acre. That's about as large as a football field without the end zones. This transaction is by far the biggest land acquisition in United States history, as it nearly doubled the size of the United States at that time.

Sounds like a great deal, right? Well, a lot of people weren't happy with Thomas Jefferson's decision. Why was that? Well, there were several reasons:

1. Some people considered Jefferson's purchase hypocritical, because they thought he would have argued against the same purchase.
2. Many Federalists preferred closer ties to Britain rather than closer relations with Napoleon.  
3. It was widely considered unconstitutional. In fact, a vote to reject the purchase was narrowly defeated, by a margin of 59-57.

So, how did it ultimately turn out? Well, see for yourself. Without that land, the United States never would have expanded to the size it is today. In fact, 15 of the 50 US states would still be under control of France. The Louisiana Purchase is a perfect example of a correct decision made under heavy pressure. 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase

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